In-ground water delivery assemblies, that is, water delivery assemblies where a portion is buried in the ground, are installed for a variety of different purposes. For example, fire hydrants are installed for providing water to fight fires and are positioned proximate to various areas where they may be needed. Other hydrants or water faucets are installed for use on farms, golf courses, and residential or commercial landscaped areas which require readily available water sources.
In-ground water delivery assemblies generally utilize a hydrant or faucet body section which is mounted above a ground surface and provides the necessary water outlets and faucet handles or valve actuating structures for selectively turning the assemblies on and off to deliver water. Below the hydrant or faucet body section, the assemblies include connecting pipes or water supply sections which couple the body section directly to an underground water main for supplying water to the body section. The body section and water supply section include bores therein which form a continuous bore for directing water from the main to the outlets when the sections are assembled together. A valve mechanism is positioned within or proximate to the underground supply section and is selectively opened and closed for delivering water from the main, through the bore, and to the water outlets. The valve mechanism is thus buried below the ground surface. The water delivery assemblies include actuating devices which are operable for opening and closing the underground valve mechanisms. Generally, the actuating mechanism is accessible above ground and is coupled to the body section. The actuating device may include an elongated pump handle which pivots on the body section to open and close the valve mechanism. With respect to a fire hydrant, a threaded sleeve rotates within the hydrant body section and engages a valve stem to move the stem vertically to open and close the underground valve. The valve mechanisms themselves generally comprise a valve seat formed in one of the sections of the assembly and a rubber valve stop which is moved against the seat to close the valve mechanism and away from the seat to open the valve mechanism.
To prevent the water from freezing within an in-ground water delivery assembly, the underground supply sections and internal valve mechanisms are buried to a sufficient depth to keep the water out of the above-ground portion of the assembly. Generally, the underground valve mechanism is located proximate the end of the supply section which connects to the water main. In that way, the valve is in the deepest portion of the assembly and will contain the water therebehind and within the underground water main. Water will usually not be trapped within the above-ground hydrant or faucet body section to freeze when the outside temperature gets very cold.
For different climates and regions, water mains are buried and maintained at different depths. Therefore, anti-freeze water delivery assemblies, including hydrant assemblies and faucet assemblies, are made in a variety of different fixed lengths to maintain the valve of the assembly at a sufficient depth under the ground surface for use with a variety of different water main depths. For example, in more southern climates, the water mains may be buried approximately 30 inches below the ground surface. The underground supply section is then dimensioned to position the valve at approximately a 30-inch depth below the ground surface to connect with the main. For more northern climates, greater supply section lengths are necessary for positioning the valve sufficiently below the ground surface and out of a freezing zone for proper connection with the main, which will be buried deeper than mains in a more southern climate. The length of the assembly, including the underground supply section, will thus be determined by the climate and where the assembly is used. Generally, the length of the hydrant body section will be the same and is not affected by climate considerations or the depth of the water main.
Another factor considered when installing such water delivery assemblies, is the variation in the installation depth of the water main to which the assembly is to be attached. For example, water mains will be buried at various different depths along their length, and may slope upwardly and downwardly along their lengths so that one portion of the water main is buried slightly deeper than another, with the depth varying gradually along the length of the water main.
Current assemblies have various drawbacks from the standpoint of installation. Anti-freeze water delivery assemblies are made in a variety of different fixed lengths which are determined by the climate in which they are installed, and also the depth of the water main to which they are attached. To vary the lengths, the assemblies are made at those different lengths or extension kits are utilized and connected to a base assembly for changing the length. Generally, any length increases in the buried supply sections are done in fixed length increments either directly to the manufactured assembly or through extension kits at fixed lengths. The length increases are usually in 6 inch or 1 foot increments.
As may be appreciated, an installer is often faced with the situation wherein the installation depths vary widely, and not according to fixed increments. For example, one installation may require a buried section which positions the valve 30 inches below the ground surface, whereas another installation may require a buried section which positions the valve 40 inches below the ground surface. To further exacerbate the problem, such varying installations may be required along the same length of water main, such as a length of a water main running along a city street for hydrant hookup. Therefore, contractors, suppliers, and plumbers are required to maintain or order a relatively large inventory of anti-freeze water delivery assemblies or extension kits for the various different installation lengths. This practice is costly and undesirable, since such parts are heavy and bulky to handle.
As discussed above, such extension increments or kits are generally made in 6 inch to 1 foot increments and thus often do not provide the necessary length for proper installation. That is, the actual increment of adjustment is too long or too short for the installation. Therefore, even with a large inventory, all of the drawbacks are not eliminated. The only alternative is to use too much of an extension or too long of an assembly and to have the fire hydrant or faucet body section protrude above the ground surface further than normal. This causes an unsightly and undesirable installation. However, it is the only option because it is not practical (and oftentimes not possible) to try to vary the depth of the water main. It may be possible in certain situations to grade the ground level to provide a flush installation of the above-ground body section against the ground surface. However, in certain situations, and particularly those situations involving concrete sidewalks, such grading is not feasible.
Another drawback to currently existing anti-freeze water delivery assemblies is the fact that the required depth for a particular installation may be unknown until a suitable hole is dug to reach the water main. Therefore, an installer may not always have the ability to plan and choose the necessary assembly lengths for proper installation. As such, the installer would have to carry a large number of various assemblies or extension kits to the job site to be able to adjust to different installation conditions. For example, during the installation of ten fire hydrants, the installer will not know whether the ten fire hydrant assemblies must be the same length, or whether they will be ten different lengths, until the appropriate holes are dug to determine the actual depth of the water main below the ground surface.
Therefore, existing anti-freeze water delivery assemblies have various drawbacks and may not be suitable for the varying installation depths which an installer will experience. Furthermore, the additional inventory that is necessary to have a number of different lengths available for an installation is costly to maintain. Even if a large inventory is available, the fixed length increment will still not be suitable for all installations. Still further, the time and expense of making the proper installation when the length of the water delivery assembly does not match the depth of the underground water main may be prohibitive. Accordingly, various such installations are not done properly and oftentimes a portion of the underground assembly will be sticking out above the ground surface, which is not aesthetically appealing. This is particularly so when a fire hydrant projects substantially above a city sidewalk.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to reduce the inventory which an installer must carry in order to install an anti-freeze water delivery assembly.
It is another objective of the invention to address the varying installation conditions for an anti-freeze water delivery assembly.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an anti-freeze water delivery assembly which is easily and simply installed without extensive modifications to the assembly.
It is still another objective of the invention to provide an anti-freeze water delivery assembly which may be installed properly each time without having to vary the grade of the ground surface of the installation.
It is another objective of the invention to maintain the position of the valve at a sufficient depth below the ground surface for use at a variety of different depths.
It is still another objective of the invention to provide an anti-freeze water delivery assembly which may be installed relatively quickly and inexpensively, and is suitable for use with water mains having various different depths.